Eurovision Song Contest considers rule changes to discourage mass voting

Organisers of the Eurovision Song Contest are proposing major rule changes to discourage voting campaigns that aim to influence the results.

Under the current system, viewers can vote up to 10 times for their favourite act by phone, text message or online.

In a letter to participating broadcasters, the EBU reportedly suggested moving the vote entirely online and forcing the public to select their top three acts – instead of being able to vote multiple times for one contestant.

The EBU said politically motivated voting had become “persistent” and was seen by many as “deeply worrying”. The voting rules have been under scrutiny since the Israeli government encouraged fans to register multiple votes for the country’s contestant in 2025.

Yuval Raphael’s song, New Day Will Rise, placed 15th with the contest’s juries – but outperformed every other participant in the public vote, scoring 297 points. In the end, Raphael finished as the overall runner-up.

A number of broadcasters subsequently queried how Israel placed so highly. They pointed to the fact that official social media accounts linked to Israel’s government, including that of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, had asked people to vote for Raphael 20 times, the maximum allowed.